Sonny Styles Had A Feeling He Would Become a Washington Commander

Former Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles admitted after his name was called that he woke up to inform his family that he knew he was headed to the Washington Commander.

"It was a gut feeling. I think it was God. I think it was the people in the building. It was great people in the building, everyone. From head coach, GM all the way down to the player development - everyone. It's a bunch of great people and I think I was drawn to that and it just felt like it was meant to be."

The Commanders sent a large contingent of staffers out to Columbus for Ohio State's Pro Day earlier this month given the Buckeyes produced three players who materialized into top seven picks while Caleb Downs went 11th overall to the Dallas Cowboys. Styles was also among the long list of top draft prospects to return to Washington for the top-30 visit ahead of the draft, giving the athletic linebacker a chance to connect with the full staff a closer feel for the organization. He left feeling like Washington was a realistic landing spot.

"I think you just come in the building it's great people, great vibes. Come in the building, coach Norton, he's bringing a bunch of juice, the linebacker coach, so everything just felt right all the way to Coach Jones, coach [Dan] Quinn, Mr. Peters. Every meeting just felt like it was it. And I left the building that day and I was like, 'Man, I feel I'm gonna be Commander.' So I'm excited to happen. It's the perfect place to be."

While many have pointed to the on-field results as Styles ended his tenure with the Buckeyes with a 100-tackle season, 9.5 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss, the type of person Styles is has been another source of optimism. General manager Adam Peters pointed to his authenticity as a chip in his favor after calling it an "easy pick" when it came time for Washington to make the pick.

"A lot of guys try to sell themselves, and rightfully so. It's a job interview. But he was very real and very comfortable in what he said. It gives you confidence he's going to do everything he can to be great for us," Peters told reports following the selection.

Styles added he expects to play both on and off the ball in Washington as he pairs with free agent signing Leo Chenal to form one of the most athletic linebacker tandems in the NFL, yet playing under assistant Ken Norton was another aspect that added juice to the prospects of added versatility in the Commanders defense.

"Coach Norton, he has a lot of belief in me. And I think the biggest thing that we talked about, I'm only scratching the surface, despite I think I had a solid career, but he knows there's still so much more to unlock. And I appreciate him for believing me. And I think Coach Jones, man, he just talked a lot to him, talked to him at the building, at Top Golf, spent a lot of time talking, just talking ball, learning about me. I just felt like the people in the building really believed in me.

Washington now enters day two with one selection with the 71st overall pick in the third round, likely targeting a wide receiver after bypassing that on day one, though Peters added he doesn't expect to change draft position.

"I don't really see us trading up from 71 so we'll just have to wait and see."